Many people seem to think that a matter’s importance will be reflected by how much space it is given in Scripture. However, some things that are of paramount importance are given very little space in Scripture. Take for example being born again. Only two brief sentences about being born again are in the entire Bible, and they do not really define it. Yet we are told that we cannot even see the kingdom until we have been born again.
We also have the ministry of the pastor, which is only mentioned one time in the New Testament and is listed with the other four equipping ministries in Ephesians 4:11. Yet no definition is given to it, and it has come to completely dominate the ministry of the church.
Let us consider if it is wrong the way that the pastoral ministry has come to dominate church ministry. The Greek word translated “pastor” in Ephesians 4:11 could have been translated “a feeder.” In Matthew 24:45-48 the Lord declares, “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” Obviously, the Lord puts a very high value on the one who takes care of feeding His people and will put them in charge of everything. Is that not what the pastor does?
There is far more to this issue of the pastor dominating church ministry in these times, but my point here is that we must “rightly divide the word of truth,” and not just base our doctrines or beliefs on what seems right, but on the clear teachings of Scripture. The amount of space given to a matter in Scripture may or may not reflect its importance. In the cases above, it does not reflect its importance, but in one major area it does, and it is one of the most neglected areas of teaching in modern Christianity—stewardship or good management.
Some estimates are that between one-third and one-half of the teachings in Scripture on righteousness have to do with stewardship or good management. Yet how often do you hear this being addressed in church?
Of course, some groups or movements have seen this, and they do address it, but it is almost entirely about money. Money is important, even so important that the Lord Himself said that He could not trust us with the true riches until we learned to handle it right. However, it is not trust which should be put in money, but on the true riches. Because money is what the Lord uses to teach us how to be good stewards so that He can trust us with more, we do want to highly value this training, but it should never be our ultimate devotion.
Because “the mark of the beast” is an economic mark, it is becoming increasingly important as we come to the end of the age that we learn good stewardship in relation to the financial resources we are entrusted with. We must also heed the biblical warnings about how quickly money can become an idol, in which case we are far more likely to actually take the mark of the beast. Taking the mark is not the sin. The sin is worshiping the beast, and the mark is just the evidence of what we are doing.
Decades ago, I was shown that understanding the modern economy was essential to understanding the times. It is not the only thing we need to understand, but it is going to be one of the biggest factors, which is why the mark of the beast is an economic mark.
Having a business background, I actually loved studying economics, and crazy as it may sound, I might have studied economics for recreation if it had not been a calling. In remarkable ways, I have also come to know people who are key players in the world economy and business. Each would either have a key understanding to teach me, or at least direct me to a source of knowledge that I now consider necessary to have a clear picture of what is unfolding.
If you are getting disturbed by thinking you will have to study economics to understand the times, let me put you at rest. I have spent years studying economics, and others have done this too, so we can condense the essential elements and give them to you in a matter of hours, and in some cases less than an hour. Likewise, many have been put on the trail of studying important aspects of the times that I might not be interested in, but they also convey to us in a short time what it has taken them a lot of time to understand. This is the beauty of the body of Christ and the way it is made up of many different members who all have a part to play.
Over the next few weeks, I will be giving a basic lesson in prophetic economics using current events. I have done some of this before, but we need to go just a bit further. I think you will find it interesting, but even if you don’t, I think you will benefit from staying with us since this knowledge can be a major part of what is necessary to understand the times. It can also be a major part of what we need to understand to be entrusted with the true riches of the kingdom.
